I'm Caught up in You
by scarletcanary
Summary: PROMPT: Charlie discovers Zari's criminal record as a member of the ARGUS resistance, and suddenly she is much more interesting. Charlie realizes they had Zari painted all wrong. "Well, you gonna open it or not?" Zari stood there with her arms folded, but without her usual smirk on her face. "Who says I want to read it?" Charlie tried to play it cool and act casual as they handed


Charlie was only half paying attention as Sara went over the plan for their latest mission to DC in 2040. They were surprisingly not half asleep already, mostly due to the fact that they were staring at Zari, taking in her beauty. If only to tease her and make her uncomfortable. Zari sent them a glare and Charlie just smiled, it was big and dopey, but they didn't care. However, they hoped Zari doesn't mistake it for love, because they were certainly _not _in love.

"So Zari will stay on the ship while Nora and Charlie scope out the item," Sara said.

Charlie's head perked up when they heard their name and they looked over at Sara, then back at Zari. "What? How come you're not gonna go? You're from 2040."

"I don't want Zari getting arrested the moment she steps foot in 2040," Sara explained, then looked over at Zari with softer eyes. "And I don't want to tempt you."

"Why would the Bobbies go after you?" Charlie asked, wrinkling their nose. They knew Zari was an accomplished hacker, but they couldn't see her getting into any serious trouble.

"I'm more trouble than you give me credit for," Zari said as if she had read Charlie's mind. "And things are different in 2040."

"I wouldn't mind going and adding a few more things to my rap sheet, especially when it's as impressive as yours," Mick said, nodding at Zari.

"Really!" Charlie said, putting their elbows on the console to lean over and stare at Zari. "I'd love to see what you've done to get arrested."

Zari gave them a disgruntled look that told Charlie they wouldn't just hand their record over and they started thinking of ways to get a peek at it. They just had to get their hands on it, the thought of reading it elated them, especially when it would get Zari so riled up.

"Okay reel it in," Sara said, making a circular motion with her finger. "And please get to your seats so we can get going."

Everyone walked over to their designated seats and Charlie popped down into their spot next to Zari, who looked displeased about their usual arrangement.

"Ray, switch with me," Zari said, pulling her harness back over her head.

"What?" Charlie and Ray said at the same time.

Ray looked over at Zari as she got up, then back at Nora who held his hand and looked equally distraught at the thought of being split apart.

"Why don't we have Charlie switch with Ray. It'd be good for Nora to catch them up on 2040," Sara said trying to find an easy middle ground. "Can you do it just this once Ray?"

"Okay," he said begrudgingly accepting it and untangling his hand from Nora's.

Charlie huffed and folded their arms, but got up anyway and sat down next to Nora, who began to give them the rundown how things worked in the dystopian future.

* * *

Charlie giggled with glee as Zari's rap sheet loaded on the tablet in their hands. They got it, they finally got it. After asking Zari herself for it. They were told that 'if they could find it, they could read it.' They scoured the entire ship before realizing, she had probably hidden it digitally.

With an eye roll from Sara, they were granted access to the entire ship's code and hard drive and with a little help from Gideon they finally found the file. It was hidden in a digital copy of one of Nate's books. Now they watched the spinny loading wheel as the file was converted and download onto the tablet for them.

It finished loading before them, but their finger hovered over the yellow file folder. Suddenly, their mind was filled with doubt about whether Zari was okay with them reading her file. They think back to all of the times they have teased Zari, messing with her and riling her up and wondered if they had gone too far. Charlie thought about all the times that it had been them on the other end of the stick, being harassed by someone they had no interest in.

Although they are not always aware of it, they make sure that their teasing is not malicious. The only reason they focused on Zari is because deep down Charlie really liked her, but dealing with those kinds of feelings is hard. So instead of outright telling her how they fell, Charlie teased her in a terrible attempt to flirt, they never really figured out how to do that.

"Are you going to open it?" Zari's sarcastic voice called to them from the entryway of the library.

Charlie jumped and dropped the tablet, it fell to the floor, landing with a bang on the hardwood.

"Sorry Zari," Charlie said as they awkwardly bent down and scooped it up, inspecting the screen and relieved to find it not cracked or dented.

"Don't worry those aren't like those flimsy little things from the 10s and 20s," Zari said, with a wave of her hand. "It would only break if you threw it out the airlock."

Charlie looked down at the tablet and opened the screen again, to double check that it was working. It was the one tablet that everybody used and didn't have a passcode. Thus, it opened to the page where they had left off, with Zari's file staring up at them.

"Well, you gonna open it or not?" Zari stood there with her arms folded, but without her usual smirk on her face. Instead, her lips were a thin line and her eyebrow raised and suddenly Charlie's anxieties felt very real and very overwhelming.

"Who says I want to read it?" Charlie tried to play it cool and act casual as they handed the tablet back to Zari. And with that, they strolled out of the library, but the second Charlie rounded the corner and got out of Zari line of sight they bolted for their room.

* * *

That night Charlie tossed and turned second guessing their decision. They can't tell if Zari's look was of curiosity or annoyance, or if it was just Zari's usual playful self messing with them. They second guessed and triple guessed their decision to turn away and not read Zari's ARGUS record because they were really interested in doing so.

They thought of all the crimes Zari could have committed and fantasized about the details with a smile on their face. However, every time they thought about Zari's expression they frowned. Thinking about how their actions could have been seen as harassment, they fell further into a pit of guilt.

It was a whole cycle that Charlie seemed to be caught up in, but they finally fell asleep. However, instead of dreaming of those situations, they dreamed of Zari sweet lips on their own, the feel of Zari's skin under their fingertips, and her eyes. Dark enough to be almost black, Charlie dreamed of them softly gazing at them filled with love and lust.

Charlie woke up and tossed off the covers. They were hot and horny so they roll over and grabbed the vibrator on their nightstand. They could switch between whatever genitals they wanted, but when they transformed into Amaya, they got the vagina that came with her form. After getting their powers partially back, they were happy to be able to sport a penis once again. Tonight they just wanted to feel the vibrations against a clit and enjoy the fantasy that can come with a long drawn out session.

Charlie opened up their knees and pressed the vibrator between their legs, moving it up and down from their opening to their clit. They sighed in relief as the sexual feeling surged through them. They pushed towards a fun fantasy in their minds with another random face as their partner, but as the vibrator winds them up, they failed to find their release. The fantasy just doesn't do it for them. Their mind drifts to Zari, and as Charlie imagined kissing her and Zari's fingers rubbing her clit, they came.

The feeling hit them and they savored it for the moment until it was gone, always too soon. Charlie opened their eyes, still breathing heavily from their orgasm. They turn off the vibrator pull it out of their pants setting it on the nightstand. They laid there in the afterglow and suddenly realizes what they have done.

"Fuck," they swore. They had let Zari into their head and Charlie would be lying if they said they hadn't always found Zari attractive, but this feels more serious. They know this is love. Now, what the fuck were they going to do about it?

* * *

"Sara!" Charlie said with an unusual level of enthusiasm, as they caught Sara sitting in the parlor with a crossword puzzle. She was curled up in the armchair with the book on her knees, deep in concentration.

"Nope," Sara said, not even bothering to look up.

"I haven't even asked you anything."

"Whatever you're selling I don't want, whatever you're offering I don't need it. Whatever problem you have," Sara said, finally looking up at Charlie. "Needs to wait!"

"Oh, and what if I was coming to you with a life or death issue?"

"If it was a life or death issue, I'd know about it," Sara said returning to her crossword puzzle. "I just want one hour to myself. No Time Bureau, no Legends, just me, myself, and Gideon."

"Actually Captain," Gideon chimed, appearing above the table on the bridge. "I have removed myself from the parlor in order to give you some much needed personal time."

"Thank you, Gideon. At least someone around here respects me."

Charlie could feel the A.I. glaring at them from behind.

"Fine," Charlie said throwing their arms up and walking out to sit on the steps. They pulled up their over the ear headphones from around their neck and played their music, getting lost in the rock and roll, Charlie jammed out. They didn't know how long they had been lost in the music but, before long they felt a hand on their shoulder. Sara gave them a soft smile and sat on the stairs next to them.

"Okay, what did you want to talk to me about?" Sara asked as Charlie took off their headphones.

"Well, I found Zari's rap sheet and…" They trailed off, not sure how to put it into words.

"You're wondering if she actually wants you to read it or not."

"Yeah," Charlie said, staring out at the time stream through the windows and watching the green swirl around and around. "What if she hates that I keep teasing her and what if I'm just harassing her and making her feel uncomfortable by reading it?"

"You're worried she doesn't like you back," Sara teased.

"No of course not. I don't like her!" Charlie immediately backtracked, denying their feelings.

"It's okay," Sara said in a softer tone, placing a hand on their knee. "I know how hard it can be to figure out if someone likes you back."

"Please, like you've ever struggled with figuring that out. You've got your natural attractiveness, people just fall over you. I've seen it, Ava isn't exactly subtle."

Sara just laughs, "It didn't just happen you know, I've worked very hard to be able to reach this level of allure."

She shot Charlie a pair of finger guns and a wink, that they knew would have had them head over heels, _if _they hadn't already fallen for Zari.

"That's what I'm talking about. How could you ever not know if someone liked you back, you just send them the wink and the finger guns," Charlie said, trying and failing to imitate her level of charisma. "And if someone doesn't swoon over that, then you know for sure."

"It doesn't always work," Sara assured them. "I mean it worked on Ava but, she was pretty obvious about her little crush on me. However, it didn't work for my first long term girlfriend."

Charlie knitted their eyebrows and looked over at Sara, they hadn't really thought about her being with anyone other than Ava. They watched as Sara took a deep breath and gazed over at the console, her eyes glazing over, clearly caught up in a memory.

"She was very serious and stoic, even when we were alone. I had fallen for her after she found me training after hours and rather than scolding me and sending me to bed, she trained with me. I did the whole charming Sara thing, but she never responded quite like everyone else had. She just shook her head and looked down. I later realized she was blushing but, at the time it was quite a blow to my ego."

"I can't imagine anyone ever bruising your ego," Charlie teased.

"Excuse you, I'm very humble," Sara replied, elbowing them.

Charlie laughed and Sara chuckled before returning to her story. "It wasn't until I dropped my act and started spending more genuine time with her that I realized she liked me back. After I realized that I kissed her and the rest is history."

"So you're saying I've got to stop being so snarky and just spend time with Zari?"

"Exactly," Sara said. "Just dropped the whole punk rock above-it-all attitude and go talk to Zari. If she also drops her attitude and you two have a genuine conversation, then you'll know she likes you."

"But what do we even talk about?" Charlie asked throwing their hands up.

"Well," Sara said getting up and grabbing the tablet off of the console before coming back and handing it to Charlie. "Why don't you start with this."

* * *

Charlie held the tablet in their hands and stood in front of Zari's door. 'You can do this,' they thought to themselves. 'It's just Zari, you're going to go in there, be genuine, tell her you found her record, and ask if you can read it. Simple enough. You can do this,' they repeated.

But, what if Zari gets mad at me? What if she rejects my feelings, what if she thinks I'm weird or gets angry at me for coming on to her like this? Bloody hell what if she's straight?

'Nope, I can't do this,' Charlie thought. 'I am perfectly happy with things just the way they are. We have a great relationship. I tease her, she teases me back, and I think about her stupid face all the time. Yeah, it's fine, I'll just go.' Charlie turned to leave, but before they could do a complete 180 the door opened. They froze as Zari stood in front of them.

"Hey, Zari!"

"What are you doing?" Zari asked, looking them up and down with a confused look.

"Umm, well, I umm."

"I'm gonna go grab a doughnut," Zari said, awkwardly trying to slip past them.

Charlie closed their eyes trying to remember what Sara said. 'Just be genuine,' right they could do that. They spun around and the words fell out of their mouth as if they'd get caught in their teeth if they spoke slowly.

"Do you mind if I come with you?"

Zari looked back, she had a half smile but, Charlie could see her eyes sparkle. "Not at all."

* * *

Charlie watched as Zari managed to stuff the entire four inch log of maple donut into her mouth, smiling as she did so. Zari's face was of pure bliss as she closed her eyes and moaned.

Damn, they liked this girl, but Charlie didn't want to say they were in love. It was too soon, but damn did they pine, hard. They watched as Zari finished chewing, waiting until that blissful look disappeared from her face and she opened her eyes to look at them.

"So," Zari said, licking her fingers. "Why were you at my door earlier?"

"Well." Charlie began slowly as they found the right words. "I found your ARGUS record."

"And? What did you think of it?" Zari asked with a smirk.

"Oh, well, I haven't read it yet."

"Why not?"

Charlie hesitated, they had never wanted to ask for permission for anything in the past, but then again, nothing had ever been as important to them as this was.

"I thought you of all people would be dying to read it," Zari said, emphasizing her last words.

"Yeah well, maybe I don't care about all that." Charlie so easily stepped back into their usual nonchalant attitude but, knew it was a mistake the moment they did so.

"Why do you get me so riled up?" Zari asked calling them out. "You act like the opposite of how you're supposed to act when you like someone."

Charlie just looked down, ashamed of their actions. They didn't mean to be mean to her and they didn't want Zari to be truly mad at them. Their default was to be playful and annoying, but not if it hurt someone they cared about.

"Because… because it doesn't matter to me who you were Zari. All these things you did were because your society was full of xenophobic assholes. You and your family just wanted to be able to practice Islam and use your powers in peace. I know that as much as you miss your family and as much as you want to go back and change things you go forward. You fix the world for everybody else and... I respect that."

Zari gave her a genuine smile then look down and Charlie swore they saw a bit of blush run across her cheeks.

"Thanks."

Now it was their turn to blush and look away and they both sat in silence for a moment blushing and smiling until Charlie said.

"So... I like you." They started out slow. "And well I would like to take…"

Zari leaned in and kissed them cutting them off. She put her hands on the side of their face tilting her head and meeting her soft lips with theirs. It took a moment for Charlie to react. They were so stunned at Zari's sudden actions, that they just stood there frozen, for a second before quickly acting and wrapping their arms around her. They put one hand on the back of Zari's neck and the other on her shoulder pulling her in.

Zari moaned as she felt then replicate the kiss and parted her lips as Charlie pushed their tongue into her mouth. Charlie tried to focus on exploring Zari's mouth and memorizing her kiss but, all they could think about was how soft her lips were against theirs and how warm her mouth was.

They brook apart only when the position got too uncomfortable and Zari pulled back to sit in her seat. Charlie craved more and crawled up and over the counter, to seat themselves in Zari's lap. Zari welcomed them and placed her hands firmly on their hips. Tilting her head up as Charlie cupped her head at her neck and leaned in to kiss her again.

Charlie heated things up as they kissed their way to the side of Zari's mouth to her jaw bone and up to her earlobe. Sucking on it for a moment before descending down her throat. Zari moaned and welcomed the affection until Charlie's hands moved to her pants. Zari grabs ahold of their wandering hands and pushed them away, pulling back from them.

"Sorry," Charlie said looking back up to face Zari. "I should have asked first."

"I want you, but I just don't want anything sexual right now," Zari said holding Charlie's hands between them.

Charlie nodded and slid off Zari's lap into the seat next to her. "Then I shouldn't tempt you."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Zari said, looking up at them with soft eyes that made Charlie swoon.

They grabbed ahold of Zari's hand and rubbing their thumb on the back of her hand.

"So do you want to date me?" Charlie asked, looking up at her with shy eyes. "I'm not sure how it would work out especially since we're already roommates, but I'd like to get to know you, romantic styles."

"Did you just quote Brooklyn Nine-Nine, while trying to ask me out?" Zari asked an amused smile on her lips.

"Yes, did it work?"

Zari just laughed and landed in to peck their lips.

"Yes, I will go out with you, romantic styles."

Charlie beamed a smile that Zari returned and they got lost in each other's eyes for a moment. Charlie gazed into her dark eyes smiling, content with being head over heels for her.

"So you're going to be my girlfriend and we're going out," Charlie said in awe of the woman before her.

"Yes, and you're my partner?" Zari asked, attempting to feel out what Charlie wanted to be called.

"I prefer lover myself but, I'm fine with that."

"You're old," Zari teased.

"Oh please, time is relative," Charlie said.

"Well then, we'd better make up for it," Zari said, leaning in and placing her forehead against Charlie's.

"I think we can figure out a good way to do that," Charlie said staring into her eyes again. The world fell away as they gazed intently into each other's eyes and Charlie leaned in for another kiss, that would be the first of many, many, more.


End file.
